Haverford College is well-known for three things: an outstanding educational experience, the Tri-College Consortium, and its Honor Code (which plays a strong role in its supplemental essays). In addition to its exceptional academic opportunities, Haverford affords students the opportunity to take courses at Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr.
When applying to Haverford, you’ll be required to submit two supplemental essays—400 words in total to express why you’re a great fit.
Don’t know where to begin to answer it? Read on. But first, want to get an even better sense of what Haverford is looking for? You’ll find an extensive, by-the-numbers look at its offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information, on its Common Data Set. For deep insights into how this private college envisions student success (and how it wants to grow and evolve), read through its strategic plan.
What are the Haverford College supplemental essay prompts?
Haverford College Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Tell us about a topic or issue that sparks your curiosity and gets you intellectually excited. How do you think the environment at Haverford, including the framework of the Honor Code, would foster your continued intellectual growth? Please limit your response to 250 words.
Haverford College Supplemental Essay Prompt #2
We have highlighted for you some of the values that shape the Haverford community. What are some of the values you seek in your next community? How do Haverford’s values, as demonstrated through our Honor Code, resonate with you?
As you think about how to answer this question, you might draw from how you have been influenced by other communities you have been a part of, experiences you may have had within your communities, or opportunities you have had to shape or even change your communities. Please limit your response to 150-200 words
How to Write each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Haverford College
how to write Haverford Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Tell us about a topic or issue that sparks your curiosity and gets you intellectually excited. How do you think the environment at Haverford, including the framework of the Honor Code, would foster your continued intellectual growth? Please limit your response to 250 words.
For this prompt, you’ll want to help your reader see an idea or issue that you could spend hours reading and talking about.
You can think of this as a version of a “how will you contribute” prompt focused on issues or ideas rather than on community or identity (the way many “how will you contribute” prompts do).
Use some of your response to show the idea or issue you care about and how you’ve engaged with it already, and then show how those experiences shape what you will bring to the college through linking to specific opportunities/groups/details.
Here are some steps for brainstorming and drafting:
STEP 1: DECIDE WHAT IDEA/ISSUE YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT
You can probably start by reflecting on your activities list—is there an issue you’ve engaged with and that sparks your curiosity/interest that you’ve devoted time to exploring and addressing?
And think about books and articles you’ve spent a lot of time reading and (ideally) acting upon.
Have you spent time exploring how to create green spaces in your community, for example, or petitioned your local government about changing certain intersections because you’re fascinated by public safety and design, or… you get the idea.
STEP 2: USE THE BEABIES EXERCISE TO GENERATE YOUR ESSAY CONTENT
You’ll find detail on the BEABIES Exercise + a chart you can use at that link.
STEP 3: DO SOME “HOW WILL YOU CONTRIBUTE” RESEARCH
You’ll want to offer a few specific ways that show how the experience/s you’re discussing in your essay will allow you to contribute to the college, and how you can continue to explore/engage with the idea or issue. The easiest way to do this is to do some “Why Us”-like research and find ways you’ll engage with and contribute to the school’s community.
STEP 4: PICK A STRUCTURE (NARRATIVE OR MONTAGE)
STEP 5: WRITE A FIRST DRAFT!
Here’s an example of a student who wrote about how he’d explore “the wonder of sciences,” particularly those related to environmentalism.
Example:
As I cut into the intestinal tract of the pig, the odor of the formaldehyde seemed to dissipate as I stared in awe at the usually invisible world of vertebrate anatomy. My passion developed through studying plant life and human pollution. In Tanzania, on a community service trip, I planted acacia trees and surveyed the health of the forest. Unfortunately, I also experienced there how double bonds allow greenhouse gases to retain more heat and create obstacles in reversing their destruction. Technological advancements and the enormous cost of CO2 reversal requires global government commitment and economic planning. My Summer Program in Economics at Oxford clarified the complexity of fiscal policy decisions between satisfying immediate human demands and preserving the long-term health of our ecosystem.
Haverford’s Koshland Integrated Natural Sciences Center’s interesting programs, such as its environmental studies major with a biology or chemistry minor or its chemistry major with a biochemistry concentration, will allow me to expand further into the wonder of the sciences. With the Honor Code system I will take ownership of my education by engaging in research and senior projects to observe and improve energy transmission and reusables, especially in developing countries. Moreover, proactive clubs like Haverford Think Tank allow me to contribute policy proposals and work on social, academic, and environmental issues.
I look forward to a Haverford education where I can engage in hands-on learning, promote student engagement, and join a student body with the freedom to decide the nature of our experience at Haverford. (250 words)
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Tips + Analysis
Show your values. What are those anyway? They are the core values that shape how you view and engage with the world around you. As a high school senior, you may not have given much thought to what those values are. But we got you.
Take 5 minutes to do this Values Exercise, and find ways to convey your top 3-5 in your essay. Pro tip: Given this prompt’s emphasis on intellectual curiosity, you’ll want to reflect that as one of your top values here. Notice how this student does that in multiple ways. Like this: “My passion developed through studying plant life and human pollution.” And this: “I look forward to a Haverford education where I can engage in hands-on learning, promote student engagement, and join a student body with the freedom to decide the nature of our experience at Haverford.”
Don’t forget the “why me” details. Remember, this prompt is really all about Haverford’s quest to get to know you better—how you think, what you value, and how you interact with others, and how those things add to their community. Essentially, how you and the school fit together as a team. So use this as an opportunity to show how you’ll build on your past experiences (like a service trip to Tanzania, for example) or the skills you’ve built in high school (like from dissecting a pig) to grow and evolve as a Haverfordian.
Think about all aspects of Haverford. Maybe you’re super interested in a specific major at Haverford. If so, you might be tempted to get all of your Haverford-details to be only about that major. Here’s the thing: that’s probably a missed opportunity. In contrast, this writer provides a variety of details that make the case for their interest in Haverford. Sure, they’re interested in exploring what’s possible in the “Koshland Integrated Natural Sciences Center”, but they go broader than that, also noting how the “Honor Code” system and “Haverford Think Tank” inform their interest and how they want to engage at Haverford. This helps the writer come off as someone who's thought deeply about engaging with a topic specifically at Haverford.
how to write Haverford Supplemental Essay Prompt #2
Please tell us what motivated you to apply to Haverford and what excites you most as you imagine your Haverford experience. Please limit your response to 150 words.
First thing’s first—if you haven’t read anything about the Honor Code yet, now’s a great time to start. You don’t have to click too deeply on Haverford’s website to know that the Honor Code is a pretty big deal to Haverfordians, so it’d be a good idea to at least have a big-picture understanding of it.
Once you’ve taken some time to read through it, you might realize that three key values are referenced repeatedly: trust, concern, respect. Your mission in this supplemental essay is to make clear how you’ve demonstrated one or more of those values in one of your communities. Let’s talk about how to do that!
First, you might check out our step-by-step guide that offers a short exercise to help you think through which communities you are a part of that might make a good topic for this essay. One of the key takeaways from that guide is that what counts as a “community” can be pretty broad. We’d recommend you check out the whole, guide, but here’s the short version:
Step 1: Create a “communities” chart by listing as many of your communities as you can think of. Keep in mind that communities can be defined in a variety of ways, including place, culture, interests, political beliefs, hobbies, and even favorite sports team. Get creative. As you brainstorm, try to think about instances where you embodied Haverford’s foundational values of Trust, Respect, and Concern. Were there moments in these communities that could parallel the aspirations of the Honor Code?
Step 2: Use the BEABIES exercise to generate your essay content for 2-3 of these communities.As you explore your role within each community, keep the principles of Trust, Respect, and Concern front and center. Ask yourself and jot down notes to these questions:
In what ways did you foster an environment of mutual trust in that community?
How did you demonstrate respect for diverse perspectives and backgrounds?
Were there instances where you showed genuine concern for the well-being and growth of fellow community members?
What kinds of problems did you solve or work to solve (personally, locally, or globally) in that community?
What specific impact did you have while embodying Haverford's core values?
Step 3: Pick a structure for writing this essay and focus on the community that you feel is most compelling and reveals the most about you, and connect those experiences to how you will impact the Haverford community (for more on how to do this, check out our “Why this College” guide).
We don’t have an essay written for this Haverford prompt, but the below example written for Duke can point you in the direction you’ll want to head.
Example
I have grown up at my local YMCA. And since entering high school, I’ve become a dedicated leader and community servant.
One project that I have worked on at the YMCA is creating and leading a youth advisory board for the YMCA’s of Central New York. Through this board, high schoolers from around my area will join me in advocating for young people in the YMCA community, shaping the next generation of YMCA programming.
Another program that I have worked with is Power Scholars Academy through BellXcel, where we try to close the opportunity and achievement gaps apparent in the city of Syracuse. I see those gaps even in the services we provide at the YMCA. What I love most about the YMCA is how it brings people together from different ZIP codes and economic statuses to collaborate on purposeful work, but some people cannot afford our programs. In the Leaders Club at the YMCA, we are currently fundraising money for children and teens that, due to their financial circumstance, can’t afford the YMCA’s membership. I am organizing a Halloween Night at Camp Evergreen, with l proceeds going directly toward a fund that makes future YMCA programming accessible to more people.
Each person brings their own unique problems and needs to the YMCA, and I enjoy getting to serve them with the same compassion, excitement, and empathy. My road to changing the world starts with changing lives here in Chittenango. Next stop, Duke.
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Tips + Analysis
Showcase Community Bonds. The writer's heartwarming connection with their YMCA community stands out in this essay. They’re not just a part of it; they’ve literally grown up there. For your Haverford essay, see if you can dive deep. Show us the roots you’ve planted in your community and the moments that truly defined those connections. Opening lines like “I have grown up at my local YMCA” can be pure magic, capturing both time and emotion in a few short words.
Link Your Actions to Haverford’s Core Values. This writer showcases actions that scream community involvement and proactive change. Similarly, when you’re giving Haverford a snapshot of your life, make sure you weave in their core values of Trust, Respect, and Concern. Though this essay wasn’t written specifically for Haverford, this writer manages to touch on some of the same values. For example, note how they talk about fundraising for those who can’t afford memberships—what a beautiful embodiment of “Concern”! Think: How have you displayed Trust, Respect, and Concern in your own experiences with a community?
Pave Your Path toward Haverford. This essay does an awesome job sharing the writer's past and present, but when you’re writing for Haverford, you should also hint at your future. Imagine: How will your past experiences fuel your journey at Haverford? Perhaps this writer could have drawn parallels between leading community initiatives at the YMCA and future leadership roles they aspired to at Haverford. The goal here is to help the reader envision you thriving as a Haverfordian!
Special thanks to Kat for contributing to this post.
Kat (she/her) has worked as an Assistant Dean of Admission for over six years and has been responsible for working with students from all over the country. She earned her B.A. in English and French from Dickinson College as well as her M.Ed in Higher Education from Penn State. In addition to her admissions experience, she’s worked as a Title IX Investigator and in institutional marketing. When not working with prospective students, she enjoys making pancakes, watching horror movies with the lights on, and chilling with her pet snake, Gertrude.
